Thirty evacuated from reservation in Thermal as Martinez Fire burned through the night

Threat of wildfires in the Inland Empire is high. Conditions are mostly blamed on the lack of rainfall compared to the heavy precipitation that pulled California out of its drought last year, but increased vegetation in the process.
Wochit

A fire burned 40 acres and destroyed seven structures Monday at Martinez Road and Avenue 66 in Thermal. About 65 percent of the fire was contained as of Tuesday morning.(Photo: Cal Fire)

Jainnie Perez and her family were spending the unusually hot afternoon at home in their trailer on the Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians reservation, when they heard their landlord - who lived next door - scream her mother's name.

The family stepped outside and they immediately saw a destructive blaze closing in on their Thermal community.

"When I saw it, I couldn't believe it. It was just a normal day. My sisters and I were watching YouTube,"said Jainnie, 13.

Her family was among the 30 residents of the Torres-Martinez reservation who were evacuated after the Martinez Fire broke out about 3 p.m. Monday at Martinez Road and Avenue 66.

It grew to 40 acres and destroyed seven structures, including mobile homes, as well as an RV and 13 vehicles.

Nearly 200 firefighters battled the blaze and three of them suffered minor injuries while enduring temperatures that reached 121 degrees.

As they battled the fire from the air, officials spotted an unrelated mobile home fire a couple miles away in the 90-100 block of Avenue 70. No one was injured, but the unoccupied home was destroyed.

A mobile home was destroyed in a fire on Avenue 70 in Mecca. Firefighters saw the fire while battling the 40-acre Martinez Fire just a few miles away Monday afternoon.(Photo: Riverside County Fire Department / CalFire)

By Tuesday morning, firefighters had contained about 65 percent of the Martinez Fire.

"The forward spread of the fire has been stopped," Cal Fire Capt. Fernando Herrera said Monday night.

Residents were gradually allowed to return home beginning Monday night and firefighters were expected to work into Tuesday on putting out the remaining flames.

Evacuated tribal members were offered shelter at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Herrera said. Residents who were not members of the tribe could go to the Body of Christ church, 62-950 Monroe St. in Thermal, for shelter, water, food and a cooling room.

Jainnie's family was the first to arrive at the cooling and care center set up by the American Red Cross. She and her two sisters each grabbed a pair of sandals while their mother retrieved her sleeping son from inside and they all fled in the family truck.

"We just saw everything burning, and we were scared. It was really big," Jainnie said.

The fire forced authorities to shut down Martinez Road and Polk Street between Avenue 66 and Avenue 68. It wasn't immediately clear if all roads were open Tuesday morning.

Unsure whether there home had been destroyed by the blaze, Jainnie's family was left in shock.

"There was one house that didn't burn down," she said. "I really hope that it's ours."